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| Mission Insignia | |
|---|---|
| Mission Statistics | |
| Mission Name: | Mir |
| Call Sign: | Mir |
| Launch: | February 19, 1986 21:28:23 UTC Baikonur, USSR |
| Reentry: | March 23, 2001 05:50:00 UTC |
| Crew: | 28 long duration crews |
| Occupied: | 4,594 days |
| In Orbit: | 5,511 days |
| Number of Orbits: | ~89,067 |
| Apogee: | 244 mi (393 km) |
| Perigee: | 239 mi (385 km) |
| Period: | 89.1 min |
| Inclination | 51.6 deg |
| Distance Traveled: | ~2,260,840,632 mi (~3,638,470,307 km) |
| Orbital Mass: w/Spektr, Kristal, etc. | 124,340 kg |
| Mir | |
Mir (Мир, which can mean both world and peace in Russian) was a Soviet (and later Russian) space station. It was humanity's first permanently inhabited space station. Mir was assembled in orbit by successively connecting several modules, each launched separately from February 19, 1986 to 1996. The station existed until March 23, 2001.
__NOTOC__ Mir was based upon the Salyut series of space stations previously launched by the Soviet Union. During the Shuttle-Mir Program, Russia's Mir combined its capabilities with United States space shuttles. The orbiting Mir provided a large and livable scientificFor the scientific journal named Science see Science (journal). Science is both a process of gaining knowledge, and the organized body of knowledge gained by this process. The scientific process is the systematic acquisition of new knowledge about a syste laboratoryBiochemistry laboratory at the University of Cologne. A laboratory (often abbreviated lab is a place where scientific research and experiments are conducted. The equipment in a laboratory will depend on what the lab is used for. Chemistry and biochemistryin outer space. The visiting space shuttles provided transportation and supplies, as well as temporary enlargements of living and working areas, creating history's largest spacecraft, with a combined mass of 250 tons. The visiting US shuttles used a modified docking collar designed for the Soviet Buran shuttle that was originally intended to service the station.
Inside, the 100-ton Mir looked more like a cramped labyrinth, crowded with hoses, cables and scientific instruments – as well as articles of everyday life, such as photos, children's drawings, books and a guitar. It commonly housed three crewmembers, but it sometimes supported for up to a month as many as six, including the first Afghan astronaut Abdul Ahad Mohmand. Except for two short periods, Mir was continuously occupied until August 1999.
The journey of the 15-year-old Russian space station ended March 23, 2001, as Mir re-entered the Earth's atmosphere near Nadi, Fiji, and fell into the South Pacific Ocean. Near the end of its life, there were plans for private interests to purchase Mir, possibly for use as the first orbital television/movie studio, but the station was deemed too unstable to be safely used any further. Many in the space community still felt that at least some of Mir was salvagable and considering the extremely high costs of getting material into orbit, simply disposing of Mir was a seriously wasted opportunity.
In addition to Soviet/Russian cosmonauts, Mir hosted international scientists and U.S. astronauts.
Mir Spacestation breaking up in Earth's atmosphere over the South Pacific March 23, 2001.
The Mir space station was constructed by connecting several Mir modules, each placed into orbit separately. The Mir Core Module (launched in 1986) provided living quarters and station control. Kvant I ( 1987) and Kvant II ( 1989) contained scientific instruments and the crew's shower. Kristall ( 1990) extended Mir's scientific capabilities. Spektr ( 1995) served as the living and working space for American astronauts. Priroda ( 1996) conducted Earth remote sensing. The Docking Module (1996) provided a safe and stable port for the space shuttle.
Before, during and after the Shuttle-Mir Program, Mir was tended and resupplied by manned Soyuz capsules and unmanned Progress vehicles.
Mir and the Moon, two satellites of the Earth In Russian, Mir means "peace," and connotes "community." Kvant means " quantum," a name derived from its purpose to provide research in astrophysics by measuring electromagnetic spectra and x-ray emissions. Kristall means " crystal," and a main purpose of this module is to develop biological and materials production technologies in the space environment. Spektr means " spectrum," so named for its atmospheric sensors. Priroda means "nature." Progress means the same as it does in English. Soyuz means "union," so named for the USSR (Sovietskii Soyuz = Soviet Union) and because the spacecraft was a union of three smaller modules.
This image was recorded by astronauts as the Space Shuttle Atlantis approached the Russian space station prior to docking during the STS-76 mission. Sporting spindly appendages and solar panels, Mir is orbiting about 350 kilometers above New Zealand's South Island and the city of Nelson near Cook Strait.
In June 1992, U.S. president George H. W. Bush and Russian president Boris Yeltsin agreed to join hands in space exploration: one U.S. astronaut would board Mir, two Russian cosmonauts would board a space shuttle. September 1993 U.S. Vice-president Al Gore and Russian prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdin announced plans for a new space station, which would later be called the International Space Station, or ISS. They also agreed that, in preparation for this new project, the U.S. would be largely involved in the Mir project in the years ahead, under the code name Phase One (the ISS being Phase Two). Space shuttles would take part in the transportation of supplies and people to and from the Mir. U.S. astronauts would live in the Mir for many months on end. Thus the U.S. could share and learn from the unique experience that Russia has with long duration space trips.
Starting March 1995 seven U.S. astronauts consecutively spent 28 months on the Mir. During their stay the space station went through rough times and several acute emergencies occurred, notably a large fire on February 23 1997, and a collision with a Progress (unmanned) cargo ship on June 25 of the same year. In both occasions complete evacuation of the Mir (there was a Soyuz escape craft for return to earth) was avoided with a narrow margin. The second disaster left a hole in the Spektr module, which then was sealed off from the rest of the station. Several space walks were needed to restore full power to the Mir (ironically, one of the 'space walks' was inside the Spektr module from which all the air had escaped).
The cooperation between the U.S. and Russia proved far from easy. Distrust, lack of coordination, language problems, different views of each others' responsibilities and divergent interests caused many problems. After the disasters, the U.S. Congress and NASA considered whether the U.S. should abandon the program out of concern for astronauts' safety. NASA administrator Daniel S. Goldin decided to continue the program. In June 1998, the final U.S. Mir astronaut Andy Thomas left the station aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery.
The story of Phase One is described in great detail by Bryan Burrough in his book (1998).
The table lists extra-vehicular activity at the Soviet space station Mir.
| Spacecraft | Spacewalker | Start - UTC | End - UTC | Duration | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mir PE-2 - EVA 1 | Romanenko & Laveikin | April 11, 1987, 19:41 | April 11, 1987, 23:21 | 3 h, 40 min | Inspect Kvant docking |
| Mir PE-2 - EVA 2 | Romanenko & Laveikin | June 12, 1987, 16:55 | June 12, 1987, 18:48 | 1 h, 53 min | Install solar array |
| Mir PE-2 - EVA 3 | Romanenko & Laveikin | June 16, 1987, 15:30 | June 16, 1987, 18:45 | 3 h, 15 min | Install solar array |
| Mir PE-3 - EVA 1 | Titov & Manarov | February 26, 1988, 09:00 | February 26, 1988, 13:55 | 4 h, 25 min | Replace solar array |
| Mir PE-3 - EVA 2 | Titov & Manarov | June 30, 1988, 05:33 | June 30, 1988, 10:43 | 5 h, 10 min | Repair X-ray detector |
| Mir PE-3 - EVA 3 | Titov & Manarov | October 20, 1988, 05:59 | October 20, 1988, 10:11 | 4 h, 12 min | Repair X-ray telescope |
| Mir PE-4 - EVA 1 | Volkov & Chretien | December 9, 1988, 09:57 | December 9, 1988, 15:57 | 6 h, 00 min | First French EVA |
| Mir PE-5 - EVA 1 | Viktorenko & Serebrov | January 8, 1990, 20:23 | January 8, 1990, 23:19 | 2 h, 56 min | Install star trackers |
| Mir PE-5 - EVA 2 | Viktorenko & Serebrov | January 11, 1990, 18:01 | January 11, 1990, 20:55 | 2 h, 54 min | Modify Mir for Kvant 2 |
| Mir PE-5 - EVA 3 | Viktorenko & Serebrov | January 26, 1990, 12:09 | January 26, 1990, 15:11 | 3 h, 02 min | Test Orlan-DMA spacesuit |
| Mir PE-5 - EVA 4 | Viktorenko & Serebrov | February 1, 1990, 08:15 | February 1, 1990, 13:14 | 4 h, 59 min | Test SPK EVA device |
| Mir PE-5 - EVA 5 | Viktorenko & Serebrov | February 5, 1990, 06:08 | February 5, 1990, 09:53 | 3 h, 45 min | Test SPK EVA device |
| Mir PE-6 - EVA 1 | Solovyov & Balandin | July 17, 1990, 13:06 | July 17, 1990, 20:22 | 7 h, 00 min | Repair Soyuz TM-9 insulation |
| Mir PE-6 - EVA 2 | Solovyov & Balandin | July 26, 1990, 11:15 | July 26, 1990, 14:46 | 3 h, 31 min | Inspect Kvant 2 hatch |
| Mir PE-7 - EVA 1 | Manakov & Strekalov | October 29, 1990, 21:45 | October 30, 1990, 00:30 | 2 h, 45 min | Repair Kvant 2 hatch |
| Mir PE-8 - EVA 1 | Afanaseyev & Manarov | January 7, 1991, 17:03 | January 7, 1991, 22:21 | 5 h, 18 min | Repair Kvant 2 hatch |
| Mir PE-8 - EVA 2 | Afanaseyev & Manarov | January 23, 1991, 10:59 | January 23, 1991, 16:32 | 5 h, 33 min | Install Stela boom |
| Mir PE-8 - EVA 3 | Afanaseyev & Manarov | January 26, 1991, 09:00 | January 26, 1991, 15:20 | 6 h, 20 min | Install solar array supports |
| Mir PE-8 - EVA 4 | Afanaseyev & Manarov | April 25, 1991, 20:29 | April 26, 1991, 00:03 | 3 h, 34 min | Inspect Kurs antenna |
| Mir PE-9 - EVA 1 | Artsebarski & Krikalev | June 24, 1991, 21:11 | June 25, 1991, 02:09 | 4 h, 58 min | Replace Kurs antenna |
| Mir PE-9 - EVA 2 | Artsebarski & Krikalev | June 28, 1991, 19:02 | June 28, 1991, 22:26 | 3 h, 24 min | Attach TREK experiment |
| Mir PE-9 - EVA 3 | Artsebarski & Krikalev | July 15, 1991, 11:45 | July 15, 1991, 17:41 | 5 h, 56 min | Prepare for Sofora girder |
| Mir PE-9 - EVA 4 | Artsebarski & Krikalev | July 19, 1991, 11:10 | July 19, 1991, 16:38 | 5 h, 28 min | Assemble Sofora girder |
| Mir PE-9 - EVA 5 | Artsebarski & Krikalev | July 23, 1991, 09:15 | July 23, 1991, 14:57 | 5 h, 42 min | Assemble Sofora girder |
| Mir PE-9 - EVA 6 | Artsebarski & Krikalev | July 27, 1991, 08:44 | July 27, 1991, 15:33 | 6 h, 49 min | Complete Sofora girder |
| Mir PE-10 - EVA 1 | Volkov & Krikalev | February 20, 1992, 20:09 | February 21, 1992, 00:21 | 4 h, 12 min | Maintain Mir |
| Mir PE-11 - EVA 1 | Viktorenko & Kaleri | July 8, 1992, 12:38 | July 8, 1992, 14:41 | 2 h, 03 min | Inspect Kvant 2 gyrodynes |
| Mir PE-12 - EVA 1 | Avdeyev & Solovyov | September 3, 1992, 13:32 | September 3, 1992, 17:28 | 3 h, 56 min | Prepare to install VDU |
| Mir PE-12 - EVA 2 | Avdeyev & Solovyov | September 7, 1992, 11:47 | September 7, 1992, 16:55 | 5 h, 08 min | Install VDU on Sofora truss |
| Mir PE-12 - EVA 3 | Avdeyev & Solovyov | September 11, 1992, 10:06 | September 11, 1992, 15:50 | 5 h, 44 min | Install VDU on Sofora truss |
| Mir PE-12 - EVA 4 | Avdeyev & Solovyov | September 15, 1992, 07:49 | September 15, 1992, 11:22 | 3 h, 33 min | Move Kurs unit on Kristall |
| Mir PE-13 - EVA 1 | Manakov & Poleshchuk | April 19, 1993, 17:15 | April 19, 1993, 22:40 | 5 h, 25 min | Install solar arrays |
| Mir PE-13 - EVA 2 | Manakov & Poleshchuk | June 18, 1993, 17:25 | June 18, 1993, 21:58 | 4 h, 33 min | Install solar arrays |
| Mir PE-14 - EVA 1 | Tsibliyev & Serebrov | September 16, 1993, 05:57 | September 16, 1993, 10:16 | 4 h, 18 min | Prepare Rapana truss assembly |
| Mir PE-14 - EVA 2 | Tsibliyev & Serebrov | September 20, 1993, 03:51:50 | September 20, 1993, 07:05:40 | 3 h, 13 min | Assemble Rapana truss |
| Mir PE-14 - EVA 3 | Tsibliyev & Serebrov | September 28, 1993, 00:57 | September 28, 1993, 02:48 | 1 h, 52 min | Inspect Mir exterior |
| Mir PE-14 - EVA 4 | Tsibliyev & Serebrov | October 22, 1993, 15:47 | October 22, 1993, 16:25 | 0 h, 38 min | Inspect Mir exterior |
| Mir PE-14 - EVA 5 | Tsibliyev & Serebrov | October 29, 1993, 13:38 | October 29, 1993, 17:50 | 4 h, 12 min | Inspect Mir exterior |
| Mir PE-16 - EVA 1 | Malenchenko & Musabayev | September 9, 1994, 07:00 | September 9, 1994, 12:06 | 5 h, 04 min | Repair Soyuz thermal blanket |
| Mir PE-16 - EVA 2 | Malenchenko & Musabayev | September 13, 1994, 06:30 | September 13, 1994, 12:32 | 6 h, 01 min | Mir maintenance |
| Mir PE-18 - EVA 1 | Dezhurov & Strekalov | May 12, 1995, 04:20:44 | May 12, 1995, 10:35:16 | 6 h, 14 min, 32 s | Move Solar Arrays to Kvant |
| Mir PE-18 - EVA 2 | Dezhurov & Strekalov | May 17, 1995, 02:38 | May 17, 1995, 09:20 | 6 h, 52 min | Install solar array on Kvant |
| Mir PE-18 - EVA 3 | Dezhurov & Strekalov | May 22, 1995, 00:10:20 | May 22, 1995, 05:25:11 | 5 h, 14 min, 51 s | Install solar array on Kvant |
| Mir PE-18 - EVA 4 | Dezhurov & Strekalov | May 28, 1995, 22:22 | May 28, 1995, 22:43 | 0 h, 21 min | Prepare Mir to move Kristall |
| Mir PE-18 - EVA 5 | Dezhurov & Strekalov | June 1, 1995, 22:05:30 | June 1, 1995, 22:28:20 | 0 h, 23 min, 50 s | Prepare Mir to move Spektr |
| Mir PE-19 - EVA 1 | Solovyov & Budarin | July 14, 1995, 03:56 | July 14, 1995, 09:30 | 5 h, 34 min | Deploy Spektr solar array |
| Mir PE-19 - EVA 2 | Solovyov & Budarin | July 19, 1995, 00:39 | July 19, 1995, 03:47 | 3 h, 08 min | Install MIRAS spectrometer |
| Mir PE-19 - EVA 3 | Solovyov & Budarin | July 21, 1995, 00:28 | July 21, 1995, 06:18 | 5 h, 35 min | Install MIRAS spectrometer |
| Mir PE-20 - EVA 1 | Avdeyev & Reiter | October 20, 1995, 11:50 | October 20, 1995, 17:06 | 5 h, 16 min | First ESA EVA |
| Mir PE-20 - EVA 2 | Avdeyev & Gidzenko | December 8, 1995, 19:23 | December 8, 1995, 19:52 | 0 h, 37 min | Transfer docking cone |
| Mir PE-20 - EVA 3 | Reiter & Gidzenko | February 8, 1996, 14:03 | February 8, 1996, 17:08 | 3 h, 06 min | Repair Kvant 2 antenna |
| Mir PE-21 - EVA 1 | Onufrienko & Usachev | March 15, 1996, 01:04 | March 15, 1996, 06:55 | 5 h, 51 min | Install 2nd Strela boom |
| Mir PE-21 - EVA 2 | Onufrienko & Usachev | May 20, 1996, 22:50 | May 21, 1996, 04:10 | 5 h, 20 min | Transfer MCSA to Kvant |
| Mir PE-21 - EVA 3 | Onufrienko & Usachev | May 24, 1996, 20:47 | May 25, 1996, 02:30 | 5 h, 34 min | Install MCSA on Kvant |
| Mir PE-21 - EVA 4 | Onufrienko & Usachev | May 30, 1996, 18:20 | May 30, 1996, 22:40 | 4 h, 20 min | Install MOMS to Priroda |
| Mir PE-21 - EVA 5 | Onufrienko & Usachev | June 6, 1996, 16:56 | June 6, 1996, 20:30 | 3 h, 34 min | Install micrometeoroid detectors |
| Mir PE-21 - EVA 6 | Onufrienko & Usachev | June 13, 1996, 12:45 | June 13, 1996, 18:27 | 5 h, 42 min | Install Ferma-3 on Kvant |
| Mir PE-22 - EVA 1 | Korzun & Kaleri | December 2, 1996, 15:54 | December 2, 1996, 21:52 | 5 h, 57 min | Install solar array cables |
| Mir PE-22 - EVA 2 | Korzun & Kaleri | December 9, 1996, 13:50 | December 9, 1996, 20:28 | 6 h, 36 min | Attach Kurs docking antenna |
| Mir PE-23 - EVA 1 | Tsibliyev & Linenger | April 29, 1997, 05:10 | April 29, 1997, 10:09 | 4 h, 59 min | Test Orlan-M spacesuit |
| Mir PE-24 - EVA 1 | Solovyov & Vinogradov | August 22, 1997, 11:14 | August 22, 1997, 14:30 | 3 h, 16 min | Inspect Spektr damage |
| Mir PE-24 - EVA 2 | Solovyov & Foale | September 6, 1997, 01:07 | September 6, 1997, 07:07 | 6 h, 00 min | Inspect Spektr damage |
| Mir PE-24 - EVA 3 | Solovyov & Vinogradov | October 20, 1997, 09:40 | October 20, 1997, 16:18 | 6 h, 38 min | EVA inside Spektr |
| Mir PE-24 - EVA 4 | Solovyov & Vinogradov | November 3, 1997, 03:32 | November 3, 1997, 09:36 | 6 h, 04 min | Dismantle solar panel |
| Mir PE-24 - EVA 5 | Solovyov & Vinogradov | November 6, 1997, 00:12 | November 6, 1997, 06:24 | 6 h, 12 min | Install solar panel |
| Mir PE-24 - EVA 6 | Solovyov & Vinogradov | January 8, 1998, 23:08 | January 9, 1998, 02:14 | 3 h, 06 min | Repair leaking EVA hatch |
| Mir PE-24 - EVA 7 | Solovyov & Wolf | January 14, 1998, 21:12 | January 14, 1998, 01:04 | 3 h, 52 min | Inspect ouside of Mir |
| Mir PE-25 - EVA 1 | Musabayev & Budarin | April 1, 1998, 13:35 | April 1, 1998, 20:15 | 6 h, 40 min | Repair solar panel |
| Mir PE-25 - EVA 2 | Musabayev & Budarin | April 6, 1998, 13:35 | April 6, 1998, 17:50 | 4 h, 15 min | Repair solar panel |
| Mir PE-25 - EVA 3 | Musabayev & Budarin | April 11, 1998, 09:55 | April 11, 1998, 16:20 | 6 h, 25 min | Remove Mir thruster engine |
| Mir PE-25 - EVA 4 | Musabayev & Budarin | April 17, 1998, 07:40 | April 17, 1998, 14:13 | 6 h, 33 min | Repair Mir thruster engine |
| Mir PE-25 - EVA 5 | Musabayev & Budarin | April 22, 1998, 05:34 | April 22, 1998, 11:55 | 6 h, 21 min | Replace Mir thruster engine |
| Mir PE-26 - EVA 1 | Padalka & Avdeyev | September 15, 1998, 20:00 | September 15, 1998, 20:30 | 0 h, 30 min | Repair solar array motor inside Spektr |
| Mir PE-26 - EVA 2 | Padalka & Avdeyev | November 10, 1998, 19:23 | November 11, 1998, 01:18 | 5 h, 54 min | Deploy satellite, mount experiments |
| Mir PE-27 - EVA 1 | Afanasyev & Haignere | April 16, 1999, 04:37 | April 16, 1999, 10:56 | 6 h, 19 min | Install experiments outside Mir |
| Mir PE-27 - EVA 2 | Afanasyev & Avdeyev | July 23, 1999, 11:06 | July 23, 1999, 17:13 | 6 h, 07 min | Install communications antenna |
| Mir PE-27 - EVA 3 | Afanasyev & Avdeyev | July 28, 1999, 09:37 | July 28, 1999, 14:59 | 5 h, 22 min | Deploy communications antenna |
| Mir PE-28 - EVA 1 | Zalyotin & Kaleri | May 12, 2000, 10:44 | May 12, 2000, 15:47 | 5 h, 03 min | Inspect Mir space station |
See also: List of spacewalks.
(Launched crews. Spacecraft launch and landing dates listed.)
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